1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fee-charging information service system for recording, duplicating or printing information, and particularly to a fee-charging information service system for recording information which is delivered or distributed from remote information sources, and charging the user for the service.
More specifically, the present invention relates to a fee-charging information service system for recording information of various kinds including information which is provided from a host terminal connected through a communication medium, information which is sent from a facsimile terminal connected through a telephone line and information which is provided by being carried on a portable storage medium, and charging the user for the service.
The present invention also relates to a method and system for use of fee-charging or free information contents which are distributed or delivered, and particularly to a method and system for use of digital contents capable of protecting the copyright, etc. of a content supplier properly by encrypting the digital information contents, and charging the user for the amount of contents used.
The present invention also relates to a method and system for use of information contents capable of allowing the user to pay for the amount of contents used or allowing the content supplier to pay a commission for the content adopted to be distributed or delivered.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A variety of OA (office automation) equipment has been developed and manufactured vigorously and are prevailing widely in firm offices and laboratories. Particularly, in the modern society where documentation is highly valued, image forming apparatuses capable of duplicating high-resolution and high-quality images are prevailing deeply throughout offices. The image forming apparatus mentioned here include a copying machine which reads original text and reproduces the image of the text on a piece of print paper, a facsimile which outputs image data (facsimile data) sent over public telephone lines such as PSTN (public switched telephone network) and ISDN (integrated services digital network), a printer which prints out computer data (print job) sent via a network such as the LAN (local area network) and the Internet, and a multifunction machine which has two or more of image output functions of these image forming apparatuses.
The image forming apparatus generally includes an image input unit which reads an original text based on optical scanning, an image processor which implements the color coordinate transformation, digital filtering and T/I separation on the input image data, and an image output unit which prints out the processed image data of the original text on a sheet of print paper. The image output unit is based on the scheme of electrophotographic process, for example. The electrophotographic process is the cyclic operations of charging, development and cleaning of a photosensitive member. Specifically, the surface of the photosensitive member is charged uniformly by the charging unit and exposed to a scanning light beam which is modulated by image data so that an electrostatic latent image is formed on it, the latent image is converted into a toner image by a developer, the toner image is transferred onto the print paper and fixed by heat-fusing and pressing, and the printed paper is ejected from the image forming apparatus. The photosensitive member surface is rid of residual toner by the cleaner after the toner image transfer so that it is ready for the next image development process.
Although the need for documentation is expanding constantly, image forming apparatuses of high print quality are still too expensive for individual consumers. Therefore, there is a business that offers charged copy service and facsimile transmission service by installing copy machines and facsimiles in convenience stores and the like. In the copy service, the user is obliged to put coins into the machine (or insert a prepaid money card), and then allowed to have a number of copies within the amount of payment (or within the balance of the money card). In the facsimile transmission service in general, the user first conducts a facsimile sending operation and thereafter pays at the counter in the store for the amount of transmission.
These charged copy service and facsimile transmission service are of benefit to individual consumers in using high-performance and high-quality image processing apparatuses without the expense of purchasing the apparatuses. The store keeper of this service merely installs the apparatuses which users use by themselves, and can collect the fee easily. A secondary advantage is upgrading of store service by installing the apparatuses, thereby attracting customers.
However, there are not yet available, on a commercial basis, charged facsimile reception service, charged printout service for computer data and various information contents received via network, and charged printout service for reception information contents such as computer data carried on CD-ROMS, MOs and other portable storage mediums.
For utilizing the service of copying text by a copy machine or sending text by a facsimile, the user sets the original text and operates the machine directly by oneself. This means that the job is carried out at the same time and in the same location as it is requested. It is, therefore, easy for the store keeper to run the service by easily identifying the user to be charged and without caring for the security of the user's text.
In contrast, for the service of facsimile reception and printout of information which is sent via the network, the job is carried out at a distant time and in a distant location from the time and place where it is requested. For example, the time of facsimile reception is determined by the sending party rather than the receiving user. In utilizing the printout service, one printer is shared by multiple users through a network, and the possibility of simultaneous job requests from the multiple users makes it difficult for the print service provider to identify the users to be charged. Moreover, the service provider must be involved in the security management for received data of individual users.
As the summary of the foregoing, there is a high barrier to be overcome in terms of fee and security management before putting the charged facsimile reception service and information printout service into practice.
The information providing service on the Internet has been improved and expanded significantly in the last several years. Throughout the long history until recent years, information contents have been delivered in the form of printed and bound books, and from now on the content distribution via the network is expected to take the place of printed matters in many cases. The content distribution will promote consumers who are remote from retail facilities and distribution channels to get information contents. It is also beneficial for the content supplier in establishing retailing routes and running the business without having a store with display shelves of commodities.
The user who has received an information content via the network will occasionally need to print out part or all of the received content. However, individual users do not necessarily possess printers which are comparable in print quality with print-bound books, and further, the abovementioned charged content printout service is not yet commercially available. Even after the charged content printout service begins, separate charging at the downloading of an information content and at the printout of the content will be inefficient for the service provider in adjusting accounts.
In addition to the Internet industry, the distribution of digitized contents including articles of newspapers and magazines, audio/video resources and software applications by use of various portable storage mediums including CD-ROMs and distribution systems such as the digital satellite data broadcasting are now beginning. The distribution of information content is expected to increase in the range of field, the quantity of content transaction and the type of mediums.
Although most of content suppliers distribute information contents without charging at present, all the service will be charged sooner or later in the nature of the capitalist economy.
However, digital content suppliers who intend to run the charged content distribution service via the abovementioned distribution routes encounter the following problems:
(1) Distributed digital contents can possibly be copied illegally or tampered with on the part of content providers or distributors, and the copyright of the content supplier is not protected sufficiently.
(2) Efficient and reliable charging systems for digital contents have not been established yet.
(3) Payment systems for an indefinite number of users who use charged digital contents have not been established yet.
(4) Although there are many digital contents requiring small amount payments, charging systems for dealing with small-amount payments efficiently and economically have not been established yet.
(5) The access right to charged digital contents utilizing a password or the like can be acquired only after the prior application and registration, and charged content providing services which is available for an indefinite number of users anytime they want by cash purchases have not been established yet.
(6) Charging data may probably be tampered with.
(7) Users of charged digital contents are obliged to equip their terminals with special hardware, which imposes excessive facility investments on the users.
In order to solve these technical problems, there has been proposed “Data broadcast system and data receiver” in Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application No. Hei 8-32530. These data broadcast system and data receiver are designed to encrypt data at transmission, decrypt the data at reception, and charge the receiving user for the amount of data decrypted, and will be able to solve (1), (2) and (3) of the abovementioned problems.
For the small-amount payment of the above item (4) many schemes which adopt the prepaid card system have been proposed.
However, the data broadcast system and data receiver described in the abovementioned patent publication No. Hei 8-32530 require the provision of decryption keys for individual data types, and are incapable of devising a countermeasure against tampering with charging data.
The prepaid schemes for small-amount payments do not issue receipts for individual digital contents, and the users must take the whole responsibility for controlling over expense of purchasing the contents. The prepaid schemes are therefore not suited for use in offices where receipts are required for settling accounts in most cases.